They held a Nationwide Series race, and Kyle Busch did not win.
RESULTS: NNS Race - Dover
This is news.
Busch lost control of the 5-Hour Energy 200 Nationwide race at Dover International Speedway late in the event Saturday, and former teammate Joey Logano swept to the victory by leading the final 37 laps.
Brian Vickers was second, followed by Matt Kenseth, Trevor Bayne and Busch.
The win was the third straight at Dover for Logano but his first with Penske Racing.
“This is a race track that I feel like I really know what I need to win,” Logano said. “We struggled to get it there. We made wholesale changes last night, and it was good enough. It was barely enough to get it done, but we did it.”
Busch led 72 laps (to 66 for Logano) but lost a shot at winning the race because of late-race pit strategy. During the day’s fifth (and final) caution, the other leaders pitted for two tires, while Busch took four.
Logano had the lead on the restart, and Busch was 10th. Busch advanced to fifth by race’s end but didn’t have time to challenge for the lead again. On a day when passing was difficult, Busch was too far behind to make up the difference.
“It was my fault,” said Busch, who requested a four-tire change. “I’m aggravated at myself. I made the wrong call, figuring more [drivers] would take four. I wanted four. I wanted the grip. I didn’t want to have to fend everybody off.”
Busch’s domination of NASCAR’s Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series has been at an absurd level. He won the Truck race Friday, marking his seventh win in the past nine Nationwide and Truck races in which he has competed, and he seemed on target to score again Saturday before the pit-stop exchange put him in a deep hole.
Logano said he was pleased to finally ride into victory lane with Penske Racing.
“It is amazing to finally win for the captain, Roger Penske,” Logano said. “It feels good to get back in victory lane. This is my favorite race track. I love coming up to the Northeast where I am from. It is good to get Hertz in victory lane in their first race with us. Great to win in a Ford, and all that stuff combined is a big win for me and this whole team here. We have to keep forging ahead and get some more, but this is definitely fun to come do Dover and finally beat those Gibbs cars.”
On lap 114, Kasey Kahne and Mike Wallace met, and the contact sent Wallace sailing into the inside wall.
Championship contender Elliott Sadler wound up in trouble near the race’s halfway point. Wrestling with an ill-handling race car, Sadler lost control and slammed into the inside wall, damaging the left side of his Toyota. That caused the race’s second caution.
Sadler entered the race in fourth position in points.
The first caution appeared when Joe Nemechek blew a tire and hit the wall in turn two.
STANDINGS: NNS Race - Dover
Regan Smith finished ninth Saturday and kept the point lead. He leads by 27 over Sam Hornish Jr.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 31 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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